Personal View: Romania at the dawn of Presidential elections

Current President: from the past. Future President: who?

No one is a good candidate, because Romania is too corrupt. Politicians and judges have salaries only dreamt of by ordinary people and every person that gets a hand on some power uses it for its own good. The people are tired and stopped believing promises and false smiles a long time ago. For them, there is no hope; they can rely only on themselves


By ROXANA CIUPARIU
from Bucharest, ROMANIA


Romania is slowly getting ready for the presidential elections. The first five-year term of a Romanian president is coming to an end and things seem nothing close to what political analysts predicted in 2004. None of the potential candidates is good, none of the former presidents made major improvements. The few who tried to change things in good were either not supported by anyone, or were put down by the large number of corrupt people. There seems to be no future for Romania and the big question is: who is the next president and how much bad can he cause, because good, is for sure not going to be done.

The current president

Traian Basescu, former PD (Democratic Party) member, is a man who is not like any other presidents. Former marine man, which a thick voice and a laugh that makes people think of him more of a peasant or uneducated person that someone suited to be a politician, not to mention even a president, this person managed to gain the trust of the people first as Mayor of Bucharest, then as president by acting after a simple rule: say what you think!

His eternal disputes with the former Prime-Minister Calin-Popescu Tariceanu from PNL (National Liberal Party) brought incertitude and made people confused on whether they made the right decision or not by choosing him. Although after the impeachment by the Parliament the people voted, during the referendum, that they still want him as president, his popularity decreased and never was the same as before.

A big mistake of the president was to promote his smallest daughter, Elena Basescu - former model and a person whose knowledge of the Romanian language is under question - as candidate for the European Parliament elections as independent. She won, and, after a while, joined the PD-L (Liberal Democratic Party). This whole idea of "nepotism", as it is called in Romania, gave the press and the opponents of the president the chance to attack him, with the public watching and not knowing what to believe and who to trust.

From the president they loved, the public got confused and asks itself where is actually the president they longed for or if it such a president who can get the country out of the swamp it swirls into ever since 1989 with the Revolution and the fall of communism.

Possible candidates

The list of potential candidates gets bigger every day, but nothing is official so far. Current mayor of Bucharest, (still) independent candidate and former PSD (Social Democratic Party) member, Mr. Sorin Oprescu expressed a certain desire to run for elections.

Former Prime Minster and important PSD member, Adrian Nastase, has always wanted to climb the political scale and become president. His intentions for this presidential election are a little bit a blur, although many say now is the perfect time for PSD and Nastase in particular to strike, because he has a good chance of winning. The scandal with the money he is supposed to have inherited, the whole "aunt Tamara" scandal, is now rarely mentioned and only by few. With the people confused and nobody from PNL or PD-L strong enough and confident enough to follow in the steps of president Basescu, and to be capable of carrying on the few good things he managed to start for this country, Mr. Nastase might use this opportunity.

The eternal lunatic and eternal wannabe candidate of the Romanian political scene, PRM ("Great Romania" Party) leader and winner of a seat in the European Parliament, Mr. Vadim Tudor, is sure going to try to be on the list, although he is currently an EP member. Apparently for him, things are still done only the way he wants and thinks suitable, without even being concerned that being in the EU and member of the EP (although no EP party wanted him) is not a joke.

Our Sheppard-turned-football-club-owner-turned-politician, Mr. George Becali is also considering running for elections. Apparently, the fact that he gained one seat in the EP - although no party wanted him afterwards (just like the former potential candidate, with whose party formed a coalition especially for the EP elections) - made him consider himself as invincible and the hope of the people. One can say about him "beware, the Warrior of Light is back!"

Former runner for Mayor of Bucharest, and president of PSD Bucharest, Mr. Mircea Geoana, considered a puppet in the hands of Ion Iliescu and, more or less, Adrian Nastase, seems to drop a bomb like the news that he is running for elections, then changes his mind, just like a puppet changes direction according to whom might be his master and what this master wants. The question is: who is the master know, Iliescu or Nastase? Is the PSD playing at two hands to make sure it gains something at least from one? And, more important, everybody asks themselves this: how much autonomy has the puppet Geoana? Isn't he sick of this game? The people are already sick of everything.

Behold, the unpredictable future

That Mr. Basescu should not run again for election is a fact widely disputed by Romanian press, politicians and political analysts. The current events with his daughter, the impeachment (although it's been two years since then) and the fact that he is still surrounded by "hawks", which do not allow him to do any of the good things he wanted to go for the country are enough to stop him running. The best choice would be to redraw with the dignity he still has left, before falling into total disgrace, which might happen if he runs for elections and not win. And there are 50-50 chances he will not win, which makes his choice a risky one.

Who else would be the good candidate for Romania in this time of crisis and 20 years after the fall of the Communism? No one is a good candidate, because Romania is too corrupt. Politicians and judges have salaries only dreamt of by ordinary people and every person that gets a hand on some power uses it for its own good. The people are tired and stopped believing promises and false smiles a long time ago. For them, there is no hope; they can rely only on themselves and their own power if they want something to be done. For 20 years Romanians act like the communist system has ended and communists are now either dead or hiding in some remote places. For those blind, willingly or not, the reformed communists are still here, hiding under masks with different names, of different parties.


(Published: 12.09.2009.)